Wedding Dinner Catering Options: Which Is Right for You?

We’ve all been to wedding dinners where the food and service were forgettable (or worse). You want to ensure all your guests enjoy their meal and aren’t left hungry. Moreover, you want the meal to reflect the style of your wedding and the joy of the day. The Milwaukee area is lucky to have a wide range of caterers and dining options for your wedding! How to choose? Here are some wedding dinner catering options to get you started.

Plated Sit-Down Dinner
Traditionally, wedding invitations are mailed with a card that gives guests a choice of three meals (two meat and one vegetarian). The meats and sides you offer will affect the cost per plate. During the dinner, servers will carry the plated food to the tables. The downsides are the cost and that some guests may be served a side dish they won’t eat. The upsides are the formal dining experience and the convenience of table service. With the right caterer, guests will be impressed!

Buffet
With a buffet, you can provide the same classic wedding dinner dishes with a more relaxed atmosphere. Guests will line up and serve themselves one table at a time, ensuring everyone receives the food they want. Depending on the size of your guest list, this system can cause some delays, where the first table served might be ready for seconds when the last table is still lining up for firsts. Choose a caterer with years of experience who knows what it takes to serve a guest list of your size.

Themed Food Stations
Your guests can enjoy multiple choices with a few different themed food stations. This can include a taco bar, pizza station, salad bar, charcuterie, baked potato bar, pasta station with a selection of sauces, and/or a table with Asian cuisine. Be sure to include vegetarian options. No one will go home hungry!

Outdoor BBQ
Brisket, baby back ribs, slow-grilled barbecue chicken, or a pig roast—is your stomach rumbling? This less formal dining option often involves an entire pig roasted slowly over an open flame and served buffet style with a range of sauces for guests. You may be able to find a venue that offers this; otherwise, there are caterers specializing in pig roasts and barbecues who will bring the rotisserie roaster, equipment, and supplies to your venue with the meats you select.

Food Trucks
This trendy option gets an honorable mention. Although it’s informal and will involve long waits if your guest list is too big, everyone loves a good food truck. Just choose food trucks with catering experience in events your size (and make sure your venue allows it).

Surprise Late-Night Delivery
Do you expect your reception to go late into the night? Dancing works up an appetite! Consider planning a late-night delivery of pizzas or other fast food from a local restaurant to surprise and satisfy hungry guests.

As with all aspects of your wedding, the best advice is to do what feels right for you and your partner. Play around with ideas until it feels like “you.” Having trouble deciding? Consider a little of everything – food trucks serving appetizers and desserts outdoors with a catered buffet dinner indoors.

Get prices from local vendors and ask what they’re willing to do for you.

At the 58th Annual Wonderful World of Weddings Show in January 2026, a wide range of caterers will be on hand to discuss different wedding dinner catering options and help you get ideas. Mark your calendar and bring your planning notebook with you!